Trenton nonprofit celebrates 25 years of empowering artists

For over two decades, the nonprofit Trenton Community A-TEAM has supported, developed, and promoted self-taught local artists who may not have had access to spaces to showcase their work.

It has provided permanent gallery space for artists to display and sell their work, exhibited their work in museums and corporate spaces and provided access to donated supplies – holding firm to its belief that art can change people’s lives for the better.

“We believe that art has the power to transform lives by fostering personal growth, strengthening community connections, and enhancing local pride,” said Anthony Catanese, TCAT’s Studio 51 site director.

This year marks the organization’s 25th anniversary, and to celebrate, it will sponsor art exhibitions all year at various locations in Trenton and throughout the Garden State.

Exhibition locations will include Studio 51, the Trenton Public Library, Grounds for Sculpture museum, and the Trenton-based nonprofit Artworks Trenton.

“We’ve already started out the year with exhibits at the Nassau Presbyterian Church and the Cherry Hill Public Library. We are also working on an exhibit at Trenton’s City Hall,” Catanese said. “In addition to these shows, we are actively promoting the incredible achievements of TCAT artists over the past 25 years, ensuring their work gets the recognition it deserves.”

TCAT supports 18 artists and has helped over 100 in the last 25 years.

The organization began in 2000 when five artists who attended the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen’s (TASK) Tuesday art program founded the art cooperative known as the A-TEAM, Catanese said.

Fourteen years later, he said the group received its tax-exempt status, becoming a nonprofit and renaming itself the Trenton Community A-TEAM.

Brook Beatty, 53, a Trenton native and artist, recalls first learning about the A-TEAM while attending TASK’s art program in the late 1990s.

Initially, Beatty said she was more into writing poetry but later transitioned to making dolls, creating paintings, and building small houses out of everyday items like jewelry boxes.

Today, she continues to work with TCAT, which features her art on its website and gallery.

“I love doing what I do. I just enjoy it for the fun of it, and I like seeing other people enjoying my art,” said Beatty, who has created art for over 20 years.

“(TCAT) helped me build up my skills,” she added, “do some new artwork and new ideas.”

In 2015, Catanese said TCAT moved into its art gallery, Studio 51, 51 N. Stockton St., created in partnership with the Trenton-based nonprofit community development organization Isles.

He described Studio 51 as “a hub for artistic expression and community connection.”

“With walls filled with TCAT artwork, the studio serves as both a workspace and a gallery, offering a welcoming environment where artists can relax and create,” Catanese said. “We host four to five exhibitions a year, welcoming the community to engage with our artists and purchase original works.”

He said some artists come to Studio 51 to create as a form of therapy or personal escape, while others use TCAT as a stepping stone to sell their work and gain wider recognition.

“Whether by providing a creative outlet, financial support through art sales, or simply a place to belong, we strive to make a meaningful impact in every artist’s life,” he said.

John Hayes, 58, said he has been an artist for 30 years and enjoys creating paintings using different mediums, from colored pencils to acrylic paint.

The Trenton native is a 15-year TCAT collaborator who said the nonprofit has helped him cover the cost of his art supplies and assisted in keeping his artistic skills sharp.

From painting a mallard duck to a portrait of the late NBA champion Kobe Bryant, Hayes said he becomes completely relaxed when he paints.

“It just takes me to another dimension where nobody can interrupt you or bother you,” he said. “I’m completely zoomed in. If there was a pot on the stove burning, I’d probably still be doing my artwork,” he added jokingly.

Beatty said TCAT is a good place for people beginning their journey in the arts.

“If God gave you this talent, you should use it,” she said. “Do your best.”

Studio 51, at 51 N. Stockton St., is open from Tuesdays to Fridays, from noon to 4 p.m.

To purchase artwork from local artists or learn more about TCAT’s upcoming events, visit its website.